Cabrera remains out, getting MRI on hamstring

SAN DIEGO -- Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, a late scratch Sunday with a left hamstring issue, was out of the lineup Monday and headed for an MRI exam.

"Either today or [Tuesday]," he said.

Cabrera described the injury "like a ball in the middle of my hamstring. The pain is not that bad, but the trainers are worried about that ball."

Cabrera just came off the disabled list with a left hamstring strain July 29. He had started 10 of 11 games at shortstop since being activated after missing most of July.

New GM Preller pays visit to Padres clubhouse

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres hosted a special guest inside their clubhouse before batting practice Monday when they returned to Petco Park to open a brief three-game homestand: new general manager A.J. Preller met and addressed them.

"I wanted to give them a sense of my personality and a quick sense of the role of a general manager in relation to the players and coaching staff," Preller said.

Preller was accompanied into the clubhouse by club president Mike Dee and owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler. They met with manager Bud Black and the coaching staff before addressing the players.

The talk appeared to energize the room and lock in some certainty for a team that has been playing without a full-time GM since June.

"They were talking about where they see the Padres going," starter Andrew Cashner said. "It's exciting to finally have somebody in charge making decisions. It will be exciting to see where he takes us.

"He was very energetic. It's an exciting day. Change is good."

Black said Preller was at Petco Park when the team arrived home from Pittsburgh on Sunday night and that the two spoke for a little while then before continuing the conversation Monday afternoon.

"It's been a whirlwind for him," Black said. "In time, we'll catch up. He loves to talk baseball. He wants to get to know our players and our staff."

It's been such a whirlwind for Preller that, since his hiring last Wednesday, he hasn't had time even to return to Dallas to collect some of his belongings. He joked that his car is parked on some city street and he's not even sure where. And tugging at his blue dress shirt, he noted that Monday was the second time around for that in the past couple of days.

Liriano gets RBI in Major League debut

SAN DIEGO -- Wasting no time in slotting one of their top prospects into the lineup, the Padres greeted Rymer Liriano on Monday by batting him seventh and sending him to right field as a brief three-game homestand with the Rockies started.

"You're going to see a guy who plays the game hard," manager Bud Black said. "He might make a mistake or two in there, as with every young player, but he plays the game with passion."

Liriano went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly in the Padres' 4-3 win over the Rockies and was hit in the hand by a Jordan Lyles changeup in the fourth.

"I was looking to go the opposite way," Liriano said of his bases-loaded, sixth-inning fly to center that scored Yonder Alonso to pull the Padres to within 3-2. "It was really great to get an RBI for the team."

It's been quite a season already for Liriano, ranked as the Padres' No. 6 prospect, who missed all of last season while recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery. He started the summer at Double-A San Antonio, moved to Triple-A El Paso and was promoted after only 16 games with the Chihuahuas, where he was hitting .452 in 62 at-bats.

"I was surprised [at being promoted] after such a short time," Liriano said through interpreter Jose Valentin, the Padres' first-base coach.

His torrid pace at El Paso, he said, came because "it is a lot easier" to hit in Triple-A "because pitchers are more in the strike zone. They throw more strikes. You get better pitches to hit."

Still, .452 is eye-popping, even over a smaller sample size. To that end, Liriano also talked about enjoying the ballparks of the Pacific Coast League as well.

"This was a big year for him as far as his maturity and development as a player," said Black, who noted that the Padres' player development staff, including El Paso manager Pat Murphy, felt that Liriano, 23, grew up quite a bit this summer.

Black drew a comparison to former Dodgers outfielder Raul Mondesi given Liriano's physical skills, his body and the aggressive manner in which he plays.

As for Liriano, he said his goal as long as he is in San Diego is "to try to be a better player every day."

He also said that, as the first product of the Padres' Dominican Republic Academy to reach the Majors, he "feels proud to be the first guy and I want to thank the Padres for me being able to be at the academy and for their help, not only [for me] but for other Dominican players as well. I hope I can be an example."

Cashner looks to build endurance in rehab start

SAN DIEGO -- Following a 24-pitch rehab outing for Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore, right-hander Andrew Cashner will take the mound for Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday for his second rehabilitation outing.

The Padres figure he will need at least one more rehab outing -- likely Monday with El Paso -- before returning to the Majors. Two things are vital here: that Cashner is healthy, of course, and that his endurance is built up to a point where the Padres' bullpen isn't overly taxed when he returns by having to work too many innings.

"I'll go back out and get into the swing of things," Cashner said. "Getting up and down four or five times, more than anything. Facing another lineup, keep turning it over, not walking guys, locating my fastball."

Maybin begins prep work for return to roster

SAN DIEGO -- Suspended outfielder Cameron Maybin was headed to the Padres' training complex in Peoria, Ariz., on Monday for what is expected to be three or so days of work before reporting to Triple-A El Paso on Friday.

Maybin is eligible to be activated Aug. 20. He can play in five games at El Paso.

Scott Miller is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.